Saudi Arabia: Let's Make a Deal! - Part 1
From ExecutivePlanet.com
What you should know before negotiating
Greetings and Negotiating Etiquette
The standard greeting is “As-salam alaikum,” [peace be upon you] to which the standard reply is “Wa alaikum as-salam,” [and upon you be peace]. On arrival at the reception room, the visitor should stand in the doorway and utter the former of these phrases. Only after receiving the reply is he entitled to enter. In the event of no reply, he may repeat the greeting but continued failure to reply means that he is not welcome.
If the room is carpeted, the visitor should remove his shoes and leave them outside to avoid bringing in impurities and thereby rendering the carpet ritually unclean for prayer. Once inside the room, he should shake hands with the most senior person first [usually but not invariably the host]. Then he should make his way around the room in an anti-clockwise direction, shaking hands with each person in turn before taking his seat and joining in the conversation.
The visitor should not change the subject of conversation except by logical opportunity or invitation. If there are more than fifty or so people in the room or if the seating is inconvenient, there may be consensus permission for him merely to shake hands with the host and wave a greeting to the others.
Once seated, crossing legs is perfectly acceptable, provided one does not direct the sole of the foot to an individual, which is a “go away” gesture. Whenever two men arrive at the same doorway, the one on the right always goes first, regardless of respective rank.
Business Cards and Promotional Literature
Business cards are common but not essential in the Kingdom. If used they should be in Arabic. Common practice is to have English and Arabic printed one on each side [this way, neither language is then perceived as less important by being on the reverse] of the same card. If one prefers the elegance of an engraved card, however, it is equally acceptable to have both languages on the same side or a separate card for each language.
Brochures and other promotional literature should always be printed in Arabic, either with or without an English translation.
Pace of Business
Business proceeds at two rates in the Kingdom--snail's pace and light speed. There seems to be nothing in between, which discourages foreigners by making it impossible to judge progress until work is in hand. After several lengthy but fruitless visits, the western businessman may suddenly arrive to find his work required “overnight.” Negotiations must therefore be swift, but not necessarily easy.
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